'He's a competitor': Lane quickly settling into Guardians' lineup

CLEVELAND -- Lane Thomas stood on second base at Progressive Field in his second game with his new team. The home dugout was screaming for him to celebrate his double and he gave a casual fist pump in response. The crew was signaling for him to give the Super Mario Bros. one-two punch of a fist pump that this group has done all season long.

The guys in the dugout were laughing, trying to get his attention, but Thomas stood on second base after his first-inning double, ready to score. Maybe he needs some time to learn all the small things that come along with being a Guardian, but one thing is already clear: His bat doesn’t need any time to fit right in.

If one double wasn’t enough in his home debut, Thomas picked up another in the seventh inning -- and he crossed the plate shortly after each as the All-Stars behind him drove him home in the Guardians’ 10-3 victory over the Orioles on Thursday night.

“I think we’ve seen [what he means to this lineup] already,” Guardians catcher Bo Naylor said. “He’s a competitor.”

Thomas and Alex Cobb (who is on the IL but was in the dugout with the Guardians on Thursday) are the two new kids in school after being acquired earlier this week. That means the two need to have a crash course in all of the little antics -- like the fist pumps when celebrating big hits or barking in the dugout -- the team does throughout the game. Guardians designated hitter David Fry has tried to help guide them.

“We’re just kind of giving them a little rundown of every little thing,” Fry said, laughing. “They’re wondering why we’re barking in the dugout. They’re probably like, 'Weirdos. These guys are a bunch of losers.’ But we give them the rundown a little bit.”

Having guys who will buy into the chemistry that the Guardians' clubhouse has already established is crucial. But the bigger goal of the Trade Deadline was to get a bat that can lengthen the order. Cleveland thought Thomas did that well. At first glance, his numbers didn’t jump off the screen. He was basically a league average hitter this year who lost some power that he had last season. But diving deeper into the numbers revealed this had a chance of being the perfect fit.

“He’s just a baseball player,” Fry said. “Like, he’s throwing balls in the outfield and you’re like, ‘Man, he’s got a really good arm.’ And you’re watching him run and you’re like, ‘Oh, he can really run.’ Then you’re watching him in BP and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s got pop, too.’”

Thomas carried a 25-game on-base streak from the Nationals to the Guardians. Now that he’s reached base in both of his first two games with Cleveland, it’s extended to 27 consecutive games -- the longest of his career and the longest active streak in the Majors. And if you can have a guy who consistently gets on base right in front of José Ramírez, that’s a recipe for success.

“It’s been awesome,” Thomas said. “I just want to come in and fit in and do my job and kind of keep this thing rolling. I felt like we did a good job of that today.”

We saw that on Thursday, as Thomas moved to third on a Ramírez sacrifice fly in the first, easily scoring on Josh Naylor’s ensuing single. And then in the seventh, Thomas stood on second as Ramírez smacked his 28th homer of the season (and fourth in his past three games). He added a walk in the eighth.

Not only does Thomas' presence lengthen the lineup, but it has the chance of helping Ramírez and Naylor knock in more runs.

Oh, and hitting in front of Ramírez benefits Thomas, too.

“It seemed like I got a few more fastballs today,” Thomas said, chuckling. “I like that.”

Thomas’s expected offensive numbers show that he’s run into some bad luck this year. For example, his expected batting average was .271 entering Thursday, as opposed to his actual .253 average. Plus, he missed a month early in the year due to a left knee injury, which may make it harder for his numbers to predict what his season could still be.

The Guardians were looking for a second sparkplug to add behind Steven Kwan. They’re hoping they found it.

“He gives you a good at-bat," Fry said. "I think he’s gonna be huge for us.”